A monitoring device system has a tunable VCSEL laser having one or more active regions including quantum wells and barriers. The active regions are surrounded by one or more p-n junctions. The one or more active regions can include a selected shape structure, as well as one or more tunnel junctions (TJ). One or more apertures are provided with the selected shape structure. One or more buried tunnel junctions (BTJ) or oxide confine the apertures, additional TJ's, planar structures and or additional BTJ's created during a regrowth process that is independent of a first growth process. A VCSEL output is determined in response to an application of the VCSEL laser. The VCSEL laser includes an HCG grating and a bottom DBR. A receiver receives the optical radiation that is reflected from a target scene and is indicative of respective times of flight of the pulses to and from a target scene. A processor and control circuit select a first pulse repetition interval (PRI), a second PRI, greater than the first PRI, and a third PRI, greater than the second PRI, from a permitted range of PRIs, and to drive the VCSEL laser to emit a first sequence of the pulses at the first PRI as well as a second sequence of the pulses at the second PRI, and a third sequence of the pulses at the third PRI, and to process the signals output by the receiver in response to the first, second, and third sequences of the pulses in order to compute respective depth coordinates of the points in the target scene.
Legal claims defining the scope of protection, as filed with the USPTO.
1. A depth mapping sensing system, comprising: A VCSEL system, comprising: a VCSEL including: a first mirror; one or more active regions with a first active region adjacent to the first mirror, each of an active region including quantum wells and barriers, each of an active region surrounded by one or more p-n junctions, the one or more active regions including a selected shape structure each with a tunnel junction (TJ); one or more apertures provided with the selected shape structure; one or more buried tunnel junctions (BTJ), additional TJ's, planar structures and/or additional BTJ's are created during a regrowth process that is independent of a first growth process of the first mirror, the active region and the one or more TJs; one or more electrical confinement apertures defined by the one or more BT's, additional TJ's, planar structures and/or additional BTJ; a vertical resonator cavity disposed over the electrical confinement aperture; a high contrast grating (HCG) operating as a second mirror positioned over the vertical resonator cavity, the HCG configured to reflect a first portion of light back into the vertical resonator cavity, and a second portion of the light as an output beam from the VCSEL, the HCG structure being layered on the selected shape structure; wherein a shape of the output beam of the light emitting device is determined by a geometric shape of the one or more BTJ apertures, apertures for additional TJ's, planar structures and/or additional BTJ's, with a transmission function of the HCG and is designed according to the desired optical transmission function of the application; a receiver configured to receive optical radiation reflected from a target scene that is indicative of times of flight of pulses to and from a target scene; and a processor and control circuit configured to select a first pulse repetition interval (PRI), a second PRI, greater than the first PRI, and a third PRI, greater than the second PRI, from a permitted range of PRIs, and to drive the VCSEL laser to emit a first sequence of the pulses at the first PRI, a second sequence of the pulses at the second PRI, and a third sequence of the pulses at the third PRI, and to process the signals output by the receiver in response to the first, second, and third sequences of the pulses in order to compute respective depth coordinates of the points in the target scene.
2. The depth mapping sensing system of claim 1, wherein the output of the VCSEL laser has a long wavelength.
3. The depth mapping sensing system of claim 1, wherein the long wavelength is from 1 micron to 1.7 microns.
4. The depth mapping sensing system of claim 3, wherein the long wavelength is 1.365 microns.
5. The depth mapping sensing system of claim 4, wherein the VCSEL laser includes an indium phosphide substrate.
6. The depth mapping sensing system of claim 3, wherein the output of the VCSEL laser is a long wavelength, at least partially created from indium phosphide structure in the laser structure.
7. The depth mapping sensing system of claim 1, wherein the VCSEL laser includes or is coupled to a top DIBR or a high contrast grating (HCG).
8. The depth mapping sensing system of claim 1, wherein a bottom DBR is a semiconductor DBR or a combination of a semiconductor DBR with a dielectric coating.
9. The depth mapping sensing system of claim 8, further comprising: a mem's structure coupled to the HCG grating or top DBR to create a swept source.
10. The depth mapping sensing system of claim 1, wherein the VCSEL laser includes a dielectric coating.
11. The depth mapping sensing system of claim 10, wherein the dielectric coating improves a broadening of a tuning range of the VCSEL laser.
12. The depth mapping sensing system of claim 1, wherein the VCSEL laser operates in a single mode or a multi-mode operation.
13. The depth mapping sensing system of claim 12, wherein dimensions of the aperture and HCG are contributing factors to a single mode operation.
14. The depth mapping sensing system of claim 1, wherein the VCSEL laser operates in a single mode.
15. The depth mapping sensing system of claim 1, wherein the VCSEL laser uses multiple tunnel junctions to enhance the output of the VCSEL laser.
16. The depth mapping sensing system of claim 1, wherein buried tunnel junctions improve an energy efficiency of the VCSEL laser.
17. The depth mapping sensing system of claim 16, wherein the VCSEL laser output is swept by modulating a HCG grating up and down, wherein when the HCG moves closes to a bottom portion of the VCSEL laser a wavelength changes and returns closer to an original output of the VCSEL laser.
18. The depth mapping sensing system of claim 16, wherein the VCSEL laser output is swept by modulating a HCG grating up and down, wherein when the HCG moves closes to its non-extended original position, VCSEL the output wavelength(s) of the VCSEL laser changes and returns closer to an original output of the VCSEL laser when the HCG is not extended.
19. The depth mapping sensing system of claim 1, wherein a wavelength of the VCSEL laser output can be swept to provide improved resolution.
20. The depth mapping sensing system of claim 1, wherein multiple tunnel junctions are provided that increase an optical power of the VCSEL laser.
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June 9, 2023
May 13, 2025
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